Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

36 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN fol&nYs: “5. Fee t?ooh E!ilb the _arricer _. Flag - be OOQ- pelled tc'travsl 10.exeoutlng or~nlndl pmoeoa~, ciumonL~ or attd3ohixq~ wltneaaea, fivu 0ant.e;";~ SubQirialon 9 or hrtiole rise c. C. P. of 1,911, ptovti0a thfltth judge, in al3aum mifeege, nhould as- ccrtein whether process had been oervcd on one or Pore oi the purtfos therein mimed on Ghe 5~x43tour aal ehoulclallclr nIleage oily fez tho number of tiles aotually tmvelrd en4 only for journey Eadde at; tlmn cl~rri~re mm perieotad. Wham thin wt~olbvtm ceprled ovdr into the C. C. T. a;C ae ~;rrtlalo1033, t!:oprovision that thu ju6g:aahotigziou rnilsagaonly for the nuclberof nilee actually trt~voladon tho 5ournoy at the tire servioa uao notuo~lp perfeotad, w&e ol2i8teU. Tiehmo oaretully oarssidsmd the ease cf Wrna V% State, 61 & 2nd 512, ta which you call out uttention. Ta thlo oace %he SeienduzA was oherRed alth the offense of o;;tortloPand oonvlOt@d by c,hetrial octrrt. upon nppil to the oourt ot orininar aj7l)onLa the aenvviotlonwea revax- the wse mEktkt2aed. LllKl 3urn6 ohargecl und oellaoted u $60 of pl,s.oo l-upmsenti~ rdlle8~ lIl‘ri@Xing an uneuoooni3rulot"*fJla~ tc 8ome e ~uhpnu~ The above'centionad aubkvision 5 of .WCiole lOSO, wae dlaoussed fully by the oourt in the Burna ease, but wo do not ocnstr~e the oplpion to hold *&at tho aherift lnv~lv.ood waa.entitle4 to cl:az@aaileags,tcxran unf3uooeeafulatter;Ft to prfbot aervIce. 'Phi8ia Dlede olear bp the lan&~~ge taken from the ap:nlon as SollWt "It Is unnaoessarl to Qeoido whether fihe etatute as it nclrappsarr In tha Code ehould be constrmU to allow the number of miles travelad in unauaaeeefol trlpa ia an ci%rt to exaaute rubpoenas, or should bo held.to Nean that the ~J,.$cer is entltled to tho Auabec of mlleo aOtUllO :& '+~eeosaarilytraveled on the 5oarnof -de ab tho thea the norviae wa6 pOrfeoteG* Afbor thu ap' arenoe of the qbove ~w-4 abctloa the ccurt cr:nthuos w?i? k.t?3e statesent that the otatute in qw8fibn d&t re~~~~~blr:bs construed ~8 RU~~O%Z~~ the xoon.TomSORY, WM s oollaitlm at m&ohnllaruy;e reea and that by reason of suoh pceslblo aonstrtmtfon th4 00krflctloa could mat uttind. ?hls bAttoP rtatimmlt 18 mda r0r the purpose or rhowin& that tho etatuto lnvokbd lo not plain and that actually it im so obsouro that th4 rula that no nlatakks or law exouae~ ona oomnitting au &fmuo oould not be applisd fn the in- stant oase. We foil to tin6 any authority, either by statute or deolalon, ugholdln@ the right of a pesos ofrioer to aollaat dleaga for uxuuaoesorul attempts to perreot senioe of proll4Jw. This departmat ha8 aonslotently denied suoh right 48 la mfleoted by en opinion wrlttm by Ii. Grady Chandler, Aaalstent Attorney Cenaral, Juna 28, 1929, to Vr. I?. 0. Xanlnc, aud fallowe by a. A. mmford, Jr., Aa414tibant Attorney Ddneral, in an optaion dated May 8, lQS3, to Yr. f. Ewll i?arbet, and in an ogtilon written by ?&SOT C. WSoWe, Aselntant Attarnoy General to Hon. I?. T. Eurns, June 6, 1933 as well aa in s4veml later oplalom. Your flrot qusatian, theroforo, 1s aom4reiI la the negatlw. we sew tura OR9 attentlollto your eeoona queetiaa aa ta ubothar or not tha nrrestlng Offher ha8 the rlght ta aaospt a iin8 ana wmtte r-q a derondant la asttlaoreat and disohar&e af th4 off0~4 0hargod. V4 find no.authority whleh direotly anmorn thlrr qu44tfna. Be wholo ooherae of’ the Tex4e atetutss, howmar, oaataarplaterr that an arrestfug ofrloer muet take the aocuaed roHhuith brroro a magistrate boforo whoa the aaouaad atus8 plead. A&h314 41, C. c. P. m4ker the slwrltt th4 eonsor- rator o? the peaoe in his aounty and ehargas him with the duty 0r 4n04tinpl 0ff4na4m ilmt the 16wn or Texas aad requlrm h&w “to t&k4 thsrp be or4 the proper oourt for T 4xaw:natlon or trial*. Art1018 a!%* c. c. P., rrquiwo thd when one to urrsstod In on4 aounty for h felony oowwltted in anothar, h4 shall *in a11 oaeoe bs taken batore mm~e magistrate af the oountf whore it was alle@sd the orSona g g%%:$S *eP&s&*o:~ar;ar etz%zgh&~;~ the offon iu alleged to have ocourrad ha shall %e taken buforo a acanlstrateof the county whom the arrest takes plaoo who ah411 6ukr b411....* rhe84 an6 almllar at4tut44 oppfg with oqtml tome to sll *0?t104r6~ a0 that ters 58 64rln8d in ibti414 346 or th4 Peosl Code. Eon. Pcss C’eay, hue 4 33 perrdt aB arrsstlng offloer to acogpt a plea of guilty sad to oolloct a fins and costs baaad thsreon f’rcman tsooussd would bs acmstltuting the orrost- lng 0Zflosr n xaglatrate. ft nao never lntmdsd that aa oIfIc4~ ahoulil bo both tha %m of ths oourb and the oaurt at tahe-~88eaa tixa. For the ZWLMM heroin ststsd, yourdedontlques- tion IR annhrod la the nogatiro. Havlw so snmrod, It then boocraesour duty to Oon6idOr yow third qUsstiOti aa to whothsr or not a orlmlnal orrrnsr is oammltt4d by an arrestfry[offloer who oolleote a fine and aost8 fmn an aooused without taklns;hirabefore a ma~lstrciteauthorizttd .ta aoeopt auoh plea. You do not ohto whothar of not the ofrloer in question turned suoh r(Mn, so oollaated, over to th4 ju6t;oe or Cho pea06 r0r dlspoaltlon. Havhg non0 of the faots snd alroumstaflassof the transaction barOr ua and not knowing the intent or the oPrlotw involved, WI aannot advise whethor or not sn offense 88~s ocmitted. Vary truly yours COMMIITCC